


Run Away

by man door hand hook car door (mentos_addict)



Category: Call Me Emperor (Video Game)
Genre: AU where we don't meet Wenning in-game, Can be read platonically I guess.., M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-12 02:21:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29127903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mentos_addict/pseuds/man%20door%20hand%20hook%20car%20door
Summary: The emperor is not the same when they awaken. Wenning makes the decision to leave.
Relationships: Amursana & Wenning, Amursana/Wenning





	Run Away

It had been a worrying day. The Emperor had refused to wake up for hours, putting all the ministers incredibly on edge. Wenning could've even sworn he saw tears in Tuhai's eyes. Said man had begun to pace, a futile attempt to conceal his distress.

The Emperor's awakening is a fast affair. They open their eyes, straightening up and looking awfully confused. An uneasy feeling strikes Wenning and he almost wants to turn and run. They ask a few very out of place questions, even talking to themselves at times. Somehow it doesn't seem to strike anyone else as odd. Regardless of strange behaviour, the ministers recover fast after it becomes apparent that the Emperor is still physically in good health. All seems well.

But Wenning is still uneasy. He sticks a little behind, observing. His heart has been hammering since the Emperor awakened, strengthening his belief that something is wrong. At first he worries that his lover may have been struck down by some sort of illness, but the moment their eyes turn to him without a spark of recognition, Wenning is sure.

Whatever creature has taken on the Emperor's form is no longer the person he knew.

He can't bear the thought of being with another, even if their body is the same as the one he exchanged wedding vows with.

So, since this creature doesn't seem to recognize him, he doesn't introduce himself. He blends into the crowd and exits with them, finding his way to a quiet patch of grass. He sits down to think, weighing his options.

One, he will wait for the "Emperor" to find out they are married and have to spend the rest of his life with a stranger.

Two, he will deny them, and most likely be executed for his insolence.

He puts his head in his hands, feeling sicker by the second. But as it is, bright ideas strike in the darkest moments. He discovers a third option: running away before any of that happens.

That's how he ends up scurrying off to Yonghe Palace, packing his bags before the "Emperor" is made aware of the Palace's existence. He waits for nightfall to make his exit.

Out of the Empire's gates, he runs as if he's being chased by wolves. He doesn't know how far he gets in the dark, but he ends up growing tired after a while and lays down to rest inside tall grass. He tries to keep vigilant and sleep lightly, but his fatigue takes over and pulls him into a deep slumber.

That is how some men from the Khoid tribe find him the next day, still fast asleep on the dewy ground. Wenning, for his part, looks harmless as they come and the men don't really know what to do. One of them ends up turning his horse around to call for their leader Amursana, who is hunting nearby with a smaller group of his best men.

Amursana takes one look at the man shivering in his sleep before he's gently hauling him onto the back of his own horse, instructing someone else to carry what few belongings the man has.

During the ride Wenning thinks he's waking up a little, but sleeping on the cold ground has made him a bit sick and he can barely open his eyes. Without the strength to feel afraid of being taken somewhere else by strangers he just slowly scoots closer to the warmth of Amursana's back.

  
  
  


When Wenning comes to, he's laying in a warm futon with a wet cloth on his forehead. He seems to be in a tent of some sort. He makes a soft sound in the back of his throat, trying to get up a little. He gets gently pushed back down and he opens his eyes to see a kind yet fierce looking old woman staring down at him. Her clothing suggests that she is a doctor or healer of some sorts, and he realizes it was probably her who put the cloth on his head. Does he have a fever, then? After just one night of sleeping outside..! He's really gotten too used to the palace life.

"You lay back down, young man. Amursana wishes to speak to you." 

The name seems familiar, but he just can't remember. Then it registers in his mind that he is in a tent, and his eyes widen. Amursana, the grandson of the Khoid tribe's leader! The woman has already disappeared. Knowing he can't possibly escape in this condition, Wenning melts down into the futon in defeat. It seems all running has done is change his place of death. As these thoughts run through his mind, a man enters the tent.

"So you have awoken."

Trembling slightly, Wenning nods, not knowing if he should speak.

"I must say, I had my worries. You look like you're not used to being outside."

Wenning nods once more, and Amursana sighs at the man's silence.

"Which begs the question, why were you out in the first place?"

Face growing pale, Wenning starts to speak.

"I am… I was, the consort of the Qing Dynasty's emperor."

Amursana raises an eyebrow, tilting his head to the side.

"You have yet to answer my question."

Confused as to why he isn't being slain where he lays and also relieved, Wenning speaks in a more relaxed tone.

"It may sound strange, but I noticed a big change in the Emperor yesterday, and I don't think they are the person I once knew. I do not wish to live a lie, so I have run away."

Amursana listens to his story with interest, eyes opening wide to show his surprise.

"That sounds strange indeed! Tell me, young man, what is your name?"

Maybe it is just the fever, but Amursana seems a very kind person to Wenning in that moment, and nothing like what he has heard.

"Ah, my name is Wenning, sir."

Amursana smiles gallantly, putting his hands on his hips.

"We are not the barbarians we are made out to be. The Khoid tribe welcomes you to stay as long as you'd like, Wenning. I have already spoken with the Leader."

  
  
  
  


He spends the next few days recovering. His sickness goes away as fast as it had come on, and he's out of bed in no time. The Khoid prepare a small tent for him and it feels like he's always been there. He'd feared some teasing and provocation, but so far he's seen nothing but camaraderie. 

He sees Amursana around every now and then and they lock eyes, but it's just a fleeting glance and the man's off somewhere else again. He's a very busy man, Wenning has come to learn, always out hunting or sparring, or teaching others to fight. 

The Mongols have a different society structure to the Qing Dynasty, where the Empire has palaces full of people who couldn't be bothered to lift a finger and a specialized army; all of the Khoid from men to women are ready to fight at the drop of a hat. It keeps the people humble, no one feeling like they're above another. 

Still, as accepting as everyone has been, Wenning knows he is still an outlier. He doesn't want to be a burden on top of that so he does his best to try to make his skills useful.

He tries to bring some art into weapon making at first, showing the Khoid how to carve intricate patterns into their bows. They catch on quickly and he feels they don't need him to show how anymore, so he looks for something else to do. 

The Khoid don't really keep a written record of anything. Wenning takes the job eagerly, neatly documenting every deal and treaty the Khoid make. He doesn't stop even in his free time, using it to visit elders and jot down all the epics and stories they have to tell. It brings him a kind of fulfillment he never felt in the palace, where everything was handed to him and he just had to behave.

It's one of his free days where he decides to really take a day off, sitting under a tree when he feels someone approach. He turns around quickly but not in a scared way, he doubts anyone harmful could quietly walk their way so deep inside the settlement. It's Amursana, hair glistening a bit from sweat, obviously back from a sparring match. The man just sits down next to Wenning, a casual move no prince of Qing would ever make. It's still jarring sometimes.

"Greetings, Amursana, sir."

The man lowers his head, a light huff escaping him.

"No need for the formalities, Wenning. There's no one around."

"Ah, I see."

Amursana turns to him, and there's an almost awkward look on his face.

"I have heard of your work, and I'm quite impressed. Finding you was truly good luck for the tribe."

Wenning smiles shyly, squeezing a handful of grass with one hand.

"Thank you, I try my best."

Amursana goes just the slightest bit red in the face, and Wenning blames it on him being cold due to the drying sweat.

"Well, grandfather and I, we think you should be rewarded for your efforts. I wished to ask what you might be interested in."

At that, Wenning looks thoughtful, but the answer is already clear in his mind. There's just something he wants to do, that he probably shouldn't, but it's very tempting. 

Hm. All these dangerous things he's done lately, and he hasn't been killed yet, has he? He goes for it, and softly puts his head on Amursana's shoulder. The response is immediate, and Amursana goes lax as if to make him as comfortable as possible. He speaks before the man can say anything.

"You have already given me the biggest gift, Amursana, and that is another chance at life. It would be shameful to ask for anything more."

Amursana's face is redder than can be explained away by cold. But, the gamble works, and the man just smiles softer than Wenning's ever seen and puts an arm around his shoulder.  
  


**Author's Note:**

> i have no idea how this happened. But I would die for them


End file.
